Electric hand lantern



Dec. 13, 1938. cl H. LARSON ELECTRIC HAND LANTERN vFiled Dec. 2, 1936 www" 4Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC HAND LANTERN Application December 2, 1936, Serial No. 113,783

4 Claims.

Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the bulbcarrying plate of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a View in perspective of the switch mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 isa sectional view corresponding to Fig. 2 and showing a modified form of construction; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the lantern, on a relatively reduced scale.

'I'he lantern is of av general type in common use, its body portion I5 being a casing for enclosing a dry cell. The casing is preferably provided with a swinging handle I6 and a wire standard I1. The dry cell is conventionally shown at i8, being enclosed within the casing I5. An annular skirt I9 slidably ts upon the lower end of the casing I5, its upward movement thereon being limited by a beading 20. The skirt is retained in place on the casing by means of screws as 2I, 2I, setting through an inturned flange 22 on the lower margin of the skirt and the bottom 23 of the casing. A lamp socket 24 is tted within a metal supporting plate 25 and is insulated therefrom, as shown at 26. The plate 25 rests upon the flange 22 of the skirt I9. Between the margin of the plate and the flange 22 of the skirt there may be interposed the marginal ange of a reilector plate 21.

A battery connector 28 bears upon the upper end of a stem 29 of a socket block 30 which extends through an opening in the bottom 23 of the casing I5 and is suitably insulated therefrom, as shown at 3I. Within the lower end of the block 30 is mounted a spring-advanced contact plug 32 for engagement by the central contact of a bulb 33, tted within the socket 24.

The controlling switch of the lantern comprises an annular plate 34, which may be slidingly pivoted, as shown at 35, against the upper face of the plate 25, and which may have at its inner margin an upstanding flange 36. To strengthen the plate this flange may be continuous.

To an upstanding ear 31 at the outer margin of the plate 34 opposite its pivot 35 is attached a Ihelical spring 38, normally under slight tension, its opposite end being attached to the stem of the controlling button` 39, which projects through a slot 4I) in the skirt I9. As the button 39 is moved laterally from its central position, the iiange 36 is brought into contact with the socket 24 to close the circuit through the casing of the lantern to the battery connector, conventionally shown at 4I. While the switch button 39 is shown as being movable in either direction from central position to close the circuit, movement in one direction only will be sufficient. A sliding plate 42 is interposed between the button 39 and its connection with the spring 38 and bears against the inner face of the skirt so as to cover the slot 40 to exclude dust and dirt. A plate 43 is secured midway of its ends to the slide plate 42 and the button 39, and has ts` ends bent inwardly so as slidingly to engage stop depressions formed in a pair of flanges 44 formed on the plate 25. The relationship of the parts just described is such that the button 39 may be moved in the slot 40, without opening any portion of the slot, between central position, shown in Fig. 2, in which the circuit is open, and in which position the button is yieldingly held by seating of the ends of plate 43 in certain of the depressions in flanges 44, to a laterally displaced position in which the circuit is closed by engagement of flange 36 with socket 24, in which position the button is held by seating of the ends of plate 43 in other depressions of the flanges 44.

Ears 45 may be struck up from the plate 25 to iix the spacing of the plate from the bottom 23 of the battery casing. rIhese ears bear against the bottom 23 when the screws 2I are turned up tight, and the reaction of the screws and ears secures the plate 25 irmly in place on the flange 22 oi" the skirt.

The circuit through the lamp, it will be understood, is made through connector 28, socket block 30, plug 32, the lamp socket 24, plates 34 and 25, and thence through the skirt I9 o ears 45 to casing I5 and connector 4I.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5 an annular switch element 4G, substantially like the element 34, is shown. Instead, however, of being pivoted to the plate 25, it is connected to the skirt I9 by a helical spring 41. A spring 48 is used to connect the switch element to the button 49. In both the constructions shown in Figs. 2 and 5 the switch element 34 or 46 is yieldably held in Contact with the lamp socket when the switch is closed, thus preventing interruption of the current by jarring of the lantern.

An important feature of the invention is thus seen to be an improvement over the construction disclosed in applicants Patent No. 1,893,293, issued January 3, 1933. In the patented construction the bottom plate is a non-conductor, while in the present construction the bottom plate 25 is metallic and is included in the circuit, the current passing from the socket 24 through the plates 34 and 25, and thence through the ears 45 or the skirt i9 to the bottom 23 of the casing and the connector 4|.

A metal plate is lighter than the non-conducting material of the same strength, such as hard rubber and like compositions. It gives greater clearance in a lantern of the same size, insures a more dependable circuit, and is free from sulphur and other corrosive agents common to nonconducting compositions.

In the improved construction the switch plate is mounted on a metallic bottom or lamp-supporting plate, which is part of the circuit, and good conduction through the zone of connection is always assured.

Various changes in the details of the forms of construction illustrated may be made within the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electric hand lantern, in combination, a battery casing having battery connectors, a metallic skirt depending from the casing, a rnetallic bottom plate carried by and electrically connected with the skirt, a rim contact lamp socket carried by and insulated from the bottom plate, a contact element connected with one of the battery connectors for engaging the terminal contact of a bulb carried by the socket, a switch element cooperating with the socket and being electrically connected with the bottom plate and comprising an annular metal plate loosely surrounding the socket and being pivoted to the bottom plate, a button projecting through an arcuate slot in the skirt, and a flexible stem connecting the button with the pivoted plate.

2. In an electric hand lantern, in combination, a battery casing having battery connectors, a metallic skirt depending from the casing, a metallic bottom plate carried by the skirt and electrically connected with one of the battery connectors, a rim contact lamp socket carried by and insulated from the bottom plate, a contact connected with the other of the battery connectors for engaging the terminal contact of a bulb carried by the lamp socket, and a switch element electrically engaged with the bottom plate and sldable thereon and including circuit closing means straddlingl the socket.

3. In an electric hand lantern, in combination, a battery casing having battery connectors, a metallic skirt depending from the casing, a metallic bottom plate carried by and electrically connected with the skirt, a rim contact lamp socket carried by and insulated from the bottom plate, a contact element connected with one of the battery connectors for engaging the terminal contact of a bulb carried by the socket, a switch element cooperating with the socket and being electrically connected with the bottom plate and comprising an annular metal plate loosely surrounding the socket and being slidable on and electrically connected with the bottom plate, a button projecting through an arcuate slot in the skirt, and a ilexible stem connecting the button with the pivoted plate.

4. In an electric hand lantern, in combination, a battery casing, a metallic skirt depending from the casing and electrically connected with one terminal of a battery in the casing, a metallic bottom plate carried by and electrically connected with the skirt, a rim contact lamp socket carried by and insulated from the bottom plate and adapted to mount a bulb having its terminal contact electrically connected with the other terminal of the battery, a switch element cooperating with the socket and comprising an annular plate loosely surrounding the socket, slidable on and in electrical engagement with the bottom plate, a laterally movable control button extending from the lantern, a flexible connection between the button and the last-named plate for causing the plate to move into or out of Contact with the socket when the button is moved, and a flexible member connected to the annular plate and the skirt cooperating with the flexible connection to mount the annular plate.

CARL H. LARSON. 

